Nag: demo cassette

Nag: demo cassette

Our take: Demo cassette from this killer new band out of Atlanta. I could be wrong, but I think I remember reading about a connection between Predator and this band? Even if I'm imagining that, the vocals are similar and the weirdo, paranoid aesthetic make Predator's brilliant latter material a good reference point, but Nag take it much, much further. Trading in something of the tin-foil-hat-hardcore vibe of bands like No Trend or the Crucifucks, Nag capture something very, very special on this recording. There's a lot going on here and the recording is extremely layered, but somehow it still doesn't feel overwrought or too complex. Nag's music sort of reminds me of Nick Blinko's drawing in that way... even though you can get lost in parsing the insane amount of detail, the whole remains coherent and capable of delivering an immediate sense of impact even if you don't notice all of the crazy detail at first... in other words, these songs will jump out at you right away for being great, straightforward and catchy punk songs, but once you listen closely you'll hear a lot of other stuff going on that's just as worthy of your attention. So, if you're constantly chasing those threads of weird, inventive punk and hardcore bands that remind you of the same thrill you get from Spike in Vain, the Feederz, or Saccharine Trust, this couldn't be more highly recommended. Easily my favorite demo of the month.